


S.O.U.Q

by Lavenia236



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 10:00:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18547495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lavenia236/pseuds/Lavenia236
Summary: Souq is the only light, deep into the future where humankind falls into greed. Souq is the answer to war. Souq is the safety shelter. Do Kyungsoo are holding onto hope when he decided to be a part of it. But is Souq really the answer?Partly inspired by the movie Morgan (2016) and A Cure for Wellness (2017).





	S.O.U.Q

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter was written at the end of last year. When I was really into science fiction. At first I tried to just look for works inspired by the titles I mentioned above, but none of it fits my story idea, so here I am.
> 
> Please note, this wasn't checked for any grammatical issue, spelling, yada yada. English is not my primary language, so let us all get over it. One last thing, any science related information I know came from movie. Which by itself explained that this fiction will in no way, be scientifically accurate. Please proceed with caution. Thank you.

The last 300 years has been an up and down for humankind. As the war between nation progresses, scientist around the world tries to develop better means for self protection and weaponry. Souq is one research facility who stands for neutrality. Like redcross, back in the day when it still exist, Souq main concern is to build safety shelter for war’s victim.

“Dr. Do Kyungsoo, this way please.”

And Kyungsoo is one of the doctor recruited to develop welfare facilities, first recruit for almost four years.

“Where are we going?”

Kim Junmyeon, head of researcher answered him without looking back. “I believe you already read the files about our latest projects.”

Kyungsoo vaguely remember about the bunch of files on a harddisk, delivered to him the day he was recruited to join Souq. To him though, those bunch of files mimics an infant development reports, more than a research journal. Visual database are filled with childcare videos, bunch of children, in a closed – controlled facility. What fascinates him was that even though the report are dated 4 years back, by the end of the report, as their number dwindled down to only a handful, all the kids are physically looking like full grown adult.

“I believe I do.”

“Then I don’t think this is a question that required my answer.”

“We’re going to the children? They are being kept here?”

The path they travelled so far is deep under the research facility with heavy security and retina recognition gates. It resembles a panic room more than childcare facilities.

Dr. Junmyeon stopped on his heels. Turn back and faced Kyungsoo with a stern eyes. “They are not children”

“Pardon me?”

“I don’t think you read our report careful enough, Dr. Do Kyungsoo. It is test subject, do not humanized them.”

Kyungsoo frowned at that statement. He had read the report careful enough. Very thoroughly, that he understand the fact that those test subject are newborn, injected with newly developed serum under Souq, the XO. Labeled as wellness serum, even though there are no exact result correlated with wellness aside from it’s apparent growth acceleration.

“They are human, Dr. Kim.”

“They are test subjects.”

“There you are!” Kyungsoo was this close, on making rebuttal when a red haired man in lab coat skipping to where they stand. “I was just about to make a call to you. What took you so long?”

“Dr. Chanyeol, this is Dr. Do Kyungsoo. Do me a favour and introduce him to all our test subject.”

“You’re not coming?”

“Dr. Wu is coming today for an update. I’ll be busy for a while. Page me if there is any change with the test subject.”

“Roger!” Dr. Chanyeol plastered a grin on his face and fake saluted the head scientist. Kyungsoo saw his name on the report. He was one of the scientist responsible for all the child rearing, along with another scientist specializing in neuroscience. Together, they are nurturing all the children while at the same time, keeping an eye to the effect of the serum injected.

“Hello Kyungsoo!” Dr. Chanyeol took Kyungsoo’s hand for a handshake. Introducing himself once again “I’m Park Chanyeol, developmental specialist for XO Projects. I got 2 other partners, but protocols said that monitor room and play room are not supposed to be left unattended. Come on. I can’t wait to introduce you to the kids.”

Kyungsoo tailed behind Dr. Chanyeol. Feeling a little bit better now that he doesn’t feels like walking with an android instead of a person.

They entered a sterilization room. “Just in case. Although their immune system don’t really let all this weak-ass bacteria infected them.” Dr. Chanyeol said. Or, just Chanyeol as the tall man pressed, no title under XO projects. Pass the sterilization room is what they called the monitor room. It’s a small loft room with ceiling to floor window. Made of bulletproof-shockproof glass, presidential standard. Just below the loft, is what Chanyeol called the playroom.It’s just a room, filled with anything and everything. There is study corner, recreational corner, and at the opposite of where the monitor room is, is the children sleeping quarter. It’s yet another glasses room with nothing but bed. And for now, some sleeping children.

“How do you get down there?”

“This lift will bring you down.” Jongdae, the neuroscientist pointed to a glasses lift just next to the door. “Once you are down, you’ll get to a small room where you could interact with them, while in protection of another glasses pane.”

Kyungsoo curiously peeked over to one of the sleeping quarters with XO-88 pasted on the door. Seems like the residence are ready to wake up, if any of the rustling indicates it. “We can’t directly interact with them?”

“Of course we can! They are interacting with us just like any other human being. Junmyeon just like to reduce the risk of exposure to a minimum.”

“ _Guys, Kai’s waking up_.” The sound from Chanyeol comm. device stop their conversation.

“It’s Minseok. You’ll see him in a while. Come on, let’s get down. Keep watch, Jongdae.”

Pod, is the right name for the small lift. The size is just enough to fit two person.

“After you.” Kyungsoo get out of the pod to a room the size of a small studio apartment. Fully equipped with what you would find in a standard studio apartment. “We want them to feel a sense of normalcy by seeing us living here the way they do.” Is the explanation given by Chanyeol. He met Sgt. Minseok. He was sent from the army based as a means of protection for the scientist working on XO projects. He walk to a a corner and sit there. Silent. Watching as Kyungsoo and Chanyeol started to chatter again.

“Can they hear us?”

“Not if we don’t want them to. Communication with people inside the playroom is kind of like a one way comm. device. You can hear everything they say, while only allowing them to hear what you wanted them to hear through your comm. device. Here is yours.”

Chanyeol handed him a small comm. device. It’s an earpiece the size of a small wireless headset. Only two button present. Press it once to open communication line, press it twice to close it. The one Kyungsoo going to use is connected to all the scientist for XO projects (Minseok included), and whatever they decided to share on the comm. device, it’s shared between all of them without exception. Dr. Junmyeon, although the head of researcher, are not allowed the comm. device access based on the fact that he’s not exclusively working on XO projects.

“Blue button is our comm. line, red button is playroom comm. line. Or if you are on the monitor room, just use the computer to open communication access.” Chanyeol proceed to walk to the glass pane and giving it a soft knock. Just enough to cease the rustling from XO-88. “I know you probably got a lot more question about them, but watch first, okay. Don’t say anything unless I’m giving you permission.”

At Kyungsoo’s nod, chanyeol press the red button on his comm. device.

“Wakey wakey, Kai. Someone’s here to see you.”

Another soft rustling, and then Kyungsoo saw long limbs coming from the capsule like sleeping quarter. Slowly, lazily, climbing out from the bed.

“Kai is kind of slow. Sorry about that.”

“I’m not slow. I just woke up.” Deep baritone voice answered. Kai is everything that Kyungsoo wasn’t. He is tall with long limbs, slender, with rich tanned skin. His eyes looking lazily to both Chanyeol and Kyungsoo. He walk slowly to the glass pane, dragging one of the sofa with him in the process. Placing it in near the window pane, and then slowly settling himself on the sofa. “Who’s this?”

“This is our new member. Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo, this is Kai.” Chanyeol make a tapping gesture to his comm. device.

Kyungsoo tapped the red button once. “Hello, Kai.” And then double tap.

There is no answer for a while as Kai was inspecting Kyungsoo from head to toe. Kyungsoo doesn’t have to be nervous. But he did anyway. Kai’s eyes is different. It’s the eyes that doesn’t reflect anything. “Hi, Kyungsoo.”

“Where is your brothers?”

“Sleep.”

Chanyeol ushered Kyungsoo to sit at the sofa right in front of the glass pane. “So, Kai. Kyungsoo here going to work with us. He never saw a case like you before, is it okay if we have some conversation, just so he got the gist of it?”

“Shoot.” Kai is now sitting in a fetal position. Eyes still staring intently at Kyungsoo.

“So,” Chanyeol started. “How are you feeling today?”

“Less irritated than usual. But sleepy. Chanyeol, you promised to me that you’re going to look at why we are really sleepy lately.”

“I did. It seems like our new vitamin serum is the cause. I’m going to stop administering it. How’s your brothers feeling?”

Kyungsoo started to feel like this session is becoming an intense staring competition between him and Kai. He talk to Chanyeol, but his eyes never leave Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo won’t back out of it. He is not afraid of those orbs or the constant frowns between those orbs.

“They are… fine. I guess. Sehun is sleeping on Lay’s capsule again.”

“That’s not good, but not unusual.” Chanyeol tapped his comm. device twice. “So, anything you want to say to Kai?”

Kyungsoo is still staring at the deep brown orbs. “Not for now.”

Chanyeol tapped his comm. device again. “So, how do you think of Kyungsoo?”

“Fascinating.” A little head tilt and nail munching from Kai. “Shortie.”

There is no other sound but Chanyeol laughter for the next few seconds, until Kyungsoo decided that he got enough of it and tapped his comm. device too. “That is not wrong, but it’s not a nice things to say either.”

“It’s not good to lie.”

“Alright.” Chanyeol tried to contain his laughter, wiping out the little tear in the corner of his eyes. “I think that’s enough bickering for the day. It’s time for lunch! So, what do you wanna eat for today?”

At the mention of lunch, Kai stand up and started walking toward the sleeping quarters. Seemingly trying to wake his ‘brothers’ up. “Just not you stir fry sausages.”

A simultaneous double click could be heard before Kyungsoo peered over Chanyeol in curiosity. “Your stir fry sausages?”

Chanyeol grin his signature ear to ear grin. “As I told you before, we try to introduce a sense of normalcy here. Closed space could do horrible things to your thought. So this mini studio are made especially to resemble normal household apartment. That includes all the necessary cooking equipment.” Chanyeol started walking toward small kitchenette on the corner of the room. Kyungsoo follow suit. The kitchen is small, but well stocked. Kyungsoo open the small fridge to find an abnormally huge amount of sausages in all different brand and kind.

“the heck?”

“ _Chanyeol cook nothing but sausages. Don’t be surprised_.” That’s Jongdae’s voice on the comm. device.

“Yeah well, my only cooking experience was cooking my brain by studying more Freud theories than necessary. I won’t start cooking lobsters anytime soon.” Chanyeol is all ready to start slicing a package of knockwurst when Kyungsoo decided to be kind for once.

“I could cook if you want.”

“You cook?” Chanyeol knife stop before it touches the sausages.

“I live alone for years. I could do a little cooking. How about pasta?”

Kyungsoo walk to the cabinets, picking up pots and pans and started to prepare it with ease. Years of living alone forced him to learn how to cook. It was take out food at first, but it started getting repetitive and it never really satisfy him. So he started out simple. Just some omellete. And then it started spiraling out of control from then. Now he could cook pretty much everything as long as he’s provided recipe.

“You might want to get out of the way, Chanyeol. You’ll get in the way.” It’s a velvety voice that he didn’t hear since the first time he arrived at the playroom. Minseok finally find it to be the right time to talk. “We’re sick of your sausages.”

“ _More like we’re sick of whatever Chanyeol cook_.”

“Shut it. At least I didn’t just provide you with army ration or spaceship dry food bar.” Chanyeol side eyed Minseok and Jongdae respectively. He sulked a bit before finally moving out of the way and seated himself in the small dining room table, right across Minseok. Eyeing Kyungsoo while Kyungsoo cook.

A light knock from the glass pane. And a single click follow suit. “Hey. Finally awake?” Chanyeol asked lightly. Kyungsoo could just picture him smiling by hearing his voice.

“We got a good night sleep!”

“We got new guy here, if Kai didn’t already told you. Kyungsoo, please meet Lay—the short one, and Sehun. Sehun is the youngest between the three of them.”

Kyungsoo tilt his head a bit, “Hi guys.” Before continuing with his kimchi slicing activities.

“What is he doing?” Sehun asked curiously, his head peered over as far as he could to see what Kyungsoo do.

“He cook.” That’s not Chanyeol.

“I know that, Kai. I mean, why is Chanyeol not the one doing the cooking? Are you running out of sausages? Is Kyungsoo our new chef?”

Chanyeol chuckled a little before answering “No he’s not, Sehun. He’s a doctor. Jongdae and Minseok—and Kai too just because—seems to be conspiring to get me out of the kitchen. Because apparently, eating sausages is too much for them.”

“I like your sausages!”

“I know Lay. Thank you.”

“What are you cooking, Kyungsoo?”

“Pasta.” Kyungsoo gesture to the boiling pots filled with pasta. “You don’t have a lot of variation when it comes to ingredients, I just make whatever possible with what you have. It’s spaghetti, I’ll cook it in olive oil, some sausage and mushroom. Did they have any allergies?” Kyungsoo asked, more to Chanyeol than anybody else.

“Nope. But if you must know, Minseok is allergic to peanuts.”

“No peanuts for him then. Not that I added any peanut tho.”

The silent cooking continue for a while. All the kids are watching Kyungsoo with such concentration. Fascinated by the fact that Chanyeol is not cooking, and that Kyungsoo is cooking something they never saw before. Kyungsoo was in the middle of plating when something finally come to hid mind.

“How do I give them their portion?”

“Here.” Minseok finally stand up. Showing Kyungsoo a glass box right in the middle of the dining table. “It’s a controlled supply box. You put your food here, and Jongdae will open the other door when the food is all set inside the box.”

“Great.” Kyungsoo tried not to question why the so called experiment for wellness serum are under a very strict watch, but he questioned it anyway. “I hope you guys like it.”

“What’s this?” Sehun asked while smelling the plate full off pasta.

“An Aglio Olio spaghetti.”

“What’s this red thing?” Sehun pointed at the small plate of kimchi at the side of the pasta plate.

“Kimchi.” Kyungsoo blushed a little. “Sorry. It’s just my habit. I eat everything with kimchi. Oh. You never ate it before? It taste kind of sour and spicy. You can try it.”

“Alright!” Chanyeol clapped his hands. “Let’s dig in guys. You can question Kyungsoo about the food after this.”

And Kyungsoo got a lot of question for Chanyeol. But maybe later.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Any constructive criticism are very appreciated. Thank you again! :)


End file.
